The Usher Syndrome Society (USH Society), a nonprofit that uses art, educational events, and collaboration to raise awareness and funds for treatments and a cure for Usher syndrome, announced a request for applications for Usher syndrome research grants. The “Usher Syndrome Society Translational Research Grants” are intended to support translational research on Usher syndrome in either preclinical research and/or mechanism-based therapeutic development. The USH Society has committed to funding up to $500,000 over two years for research projects that include well-documented research collaborations across sensory modalities and across scientific disciplines. The submissions will be evaluated by the newly created USH Society Scientific Advisory Committee, which is comprised of hearing and vision scientists. The initial Letter of Intent must be submitted by 5 PM on August 27, 2021.
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Usher syndrome is a progressive genetic condition affecting the retina and inner ear, leading to combined vision loss and hearing loss in approximately 400,000 people worldwide. Usher syndrome is the most common genetic cause of combined deafness and blindness.
The USH Society is committed to supporting Usher syndrome research at labs with promising work and specific funding needs that accelerate Usher syndrome research towards treatments and a cure. The USH Society has funded research targeting all subtypes of Usher syndrome at institutions including Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston Children’s Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine, and the University of Iowa Institute of Vision Research.
About the Usher Syndrome Society
The USH Society was created because of an urgent need to save the sight and hearing of those with Usher syndrome, according to the organization. Realizing that the two most important ways to accelerate research are educating the public about this orphan disease and raising funds, the USH Society began using photojournalism and educational events to bring Usher syndrome to the forefront of rare disease research. The Usher Syndrome Society is a registered 501(c)3. Visit www.UsherSyndromeSociety.org for more information.
About the Scientific Advisory Committee
The USH Society Scientific Advisory Committee is chaired by Jeffrey R. Holt, PhD, professor of otolaryngology and neurology at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Other members: Eliot Shearer, MD, PhD, assistant professor of otolaryngology head & neck surgery at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital; Teresa Nicolson, PhD, professor of otolaryngology, head & neck surgery at Stanford University; Shannon Boye, PhD, professor and associate chief in cellular and molecular therapy at the University of Florida; Bence Gyorgy, MD, PhD, head of clinical translation at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology in Basel, Switzerland.
Source: USH Society
